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SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
I Want that Mountain
Joshua Lesson 13

Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Josh. 13-14

THE DIVISION OF THE LAND:

A. Remember from Josh. ll:23, that "the land rested from war".

1. That is not because all of the Promised land had been conquered, God told Joshua in Josh. 13:1, "There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." Then God spelled out the remaining areas: (Locate on map). Josh. 13: 1-6.

a. Borders of the Philistines.

b. A11 Geshuri.

c. Sihor to Ekron.

d. Five Philistine Lords: Gasa, Ashdod, Eskalon, the Gittites, and Ekron.

e. All the southern Canaanite regions.

f. The coastal area of Sidon.

g. All land to the borders of the Amorites.

h. Lebanon unto Hamath.

2. Compare on a map the total land promised with that already conquered.

3. The united effort of the 12 tribes under Joshua had broken the major resistance in Canaan. Those remaining were too divided and scattered to form a military force which would require an army the size of Joshua's to conquer. Furthermore, the previous conquests had put the fear of God upon them; and had clearly demonstrated to Israel that victory was theirs, if they went in the power of God. So, the remaining land did not require a united Israeli army to conquer. It would be left to the individual tribes to completely conquer all of the land given to them.

4. As we shall see, all the land was divided, even though it was not yet fully conquered. Josh, 13:7

B. As preparations for the division of the land among the tribes were being made, several preliminary items were taken into consideration:

1. First, the land west of Jordan was to be divided among only 9½ tribes, Josh, 13:7. Two and one half tribes (The Reubenites, the Gadites, and ½ tribe of Manasseh) had already received their portions on the east side of Jordan, Josh. 13:7-12.15-32. Also, the tribe of Levi was given no inheritance, Josh. 13:13,33. As we shall see, they were given certain cities and surrounding areas where they lived; and were to attend the sheep and other supplies provided them in the tithes received from the other 12 tribes.

2. While Joshua was at Gilgal preparing for the division of the land, the children of Judah came with Caleb and said to him, "Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-Barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart, Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden Shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s forever, because thou hast followed the LORD my God. And now, behold, the LORD hath kept this word unto Moses while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as stronq this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out and to come in. Now therefore qive-me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I Shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance, Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite Unto this day because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before, was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.

a. Caleb is one of the great unsung heroes of the Bible: one of the few of whom it is ever said, "Thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God" as in Josh. 14: 8,14.

b. He was 40 when Moses sent him to spy the land from Kadeshbarnea (Josh. 14:7); and here before Joshua at Gilgal, he is 85, Josh. 14:10 Yet V. 11 gives these words of Caleb, "As yet I am as stronq this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out and to come in". Like Moses, his physical strength had not abated with age; and it was directly attributable to his walk with God. God does not preserve the physical strength of all who walk with him as he did Moses and Caleb. Although, unabated spiritual strength will be the portion of every believer who wholly follows the Lord all of his life. The scriptures which talk about maturity, growth, and strength in the Lord are not limited to those in youth or middle age.

c. Note also the statements about Caleb's age (40 at Kadesh-barnea and 85 here at Gilgal) say that it has taken Joshua and Israel 45 years to conquer this land. Edward Reese, in THE CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE, dates this meeting toward the end of 1416 B.C.

d. On the spy trip from Kadesh-barnea, Caleb had seen Hebron (locate on map) which was formerly called Kirjath-arba. Josh. 14:15 says it was named Kirjatharba after Arba, a mighty man among the Anakims. The Anakims were giants (Deut.9:2); and of all that the 12 spies saw in Canaan, the Anakims scared them most. At the end of their spy trip, 10 of the spies reported to Moses and Israel, "there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

e. Yet, this is the place Caleb requested from Joshua before the division. Moses had promised Caleb, "Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God." Now Caleb says, "Now therefore give me this mountain" in Josh. 14:12. It was a great walled city of giants; and it was yet unconquered, but Joshua said, "I want that mountain"

What courage! What faith in the promise of the God who promised! "If so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said", Vs. 12. He knew where his strength was: In the LORD. He knew it was impossible for him, but not for the Lord. What vision! The oldest continuously inhabited city on earth today is Hebron; and Hebron is the perpetual inheritance of Caleb. Joshua gave him Hebron, and he did drive out the giants. Josh. 15:13-17 tells the story, "And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Calebh drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before. was Kirjath-sepher. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife."

f. Dear believer, don't be afraid of the giants. I heard of a little boy who stood in awe of a hulk of a man. He said, "Mister, if I was as big as you, I'd whip a big bear." The big man replied, "Son, there are some little bears, too." Well, believer, you may be a little believer; but if God is with you, you can whip even big bears; not just little bears. David was just a little boy, but God was with him; and he whipped the biggest giant of all: Goliath. I Sam, 17:32-51,

Most of us believers view matters only through the eye of human possibilities. But, like Caleb, let us use the eye of faith, for when God is in it, the impossible becomes possible. Impossible giants and mountains become no more than stubble under our feet. Oh that we would get a vision: see a mountain that needs to be conquered, and where God's people need to dwell, and a great work can be done. And, oh, that we'd say with Caleb, "I want that mountain. I know there are giants there, and a walled city; but I want that mountain"

4.Preacher, give me that Sunday school class. Give me that bus route. Let me help with youth. I want in that choir. Hey, I've got a mountain to climb, and giants to conquer in my marriage, and with my family, but I want that mountain. I have a hulk of a habit in my way, but by God's power, I'll conquer it.

You can! Yes, you can! By the power of God, you too can be a Caleb. There have not been very many Calebs in this world, but there have been a few; and you, too, can be a Caleb. Joshua 14:14 says, "Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel". There's the key: "because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel". That’s what separates the Calebs from all the other men of life. Caleb was not so mighty and victorious because he was so much stronger and smarter, and neither will you be. He conquered that mountain and those giants because he wholly followed the Lord; and if you, too, will follow the Lord, you also will have those mountains of which you dream.

 

QUESTIONS ON "I WANT THAT MOUNTAIN"

1. What was the condition of "war" in the land when it was divided?

2. Was all the land conquered at the time of the division?

3. Name some of the Philistine strongholds.

4. What major resistance, if any, remained among the Canaanites?

5. How was the remaining land to be conquered?

6. Why were conditions ripe for total Israeli conquest of the land?

7. Among how many tribes was the land to be divided?

8. Why didn't the other tribes get any land?

9. What did the Levites receive?

10. Why didn't the Levites get a full portion of the inheritance?

Where was Joshua as initial preparations for the division of the land being made?

12. Who came to Joshua and asked for a special part of the land?

13. Who was Caleb?

14. How old was Caleb when he went into Canaan as a spy from Kadesh-Barnea?

15. How old was Caleb when he appeared before Joshua at Gilgal?

16. Thus, how long were Joshua and Israel in their conquest of Canaan?

17. What was the secret of Caleb's great effectiveness?

18. What year did the preparations for the division of the land occur?

19. Why could Hebron be called the stronghold of Canaan?

20. What does Caleb's reuqest for Hebron say about his courage and faith?

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"